Sleeper Watch

Deciding when to select a defense can be a very difficult task in your draft. Some drafters take chances starting in the late fifth round on some of the top defenses each year: Baltimore, Buffalo, New England, and Pittsburgh, for example. Those can be very solid indeed. However, many seasoned fantasy drafters have grown accustomed to selecting a defense in the late rounds of their drafts.

If you are looking for a defense with a high upside that you can likely select in the last round of your draft, look at the Detroit Lions. They did not end the season on the highest of notes, primarily due to injuries and a lack of depth, but many problem areas have been addressed.

The DL has added Shaun Cody through the draft to go with stud DT Shaun Rogers. DE James Hall had 11.5 sacks last year. The LB corp is healthy and should be very strong. Earl Holmes and 2004 rookie Teddy Lehman each accumulated over 100 tackles, and the Lion brass has extremely high hopes for Boss Bailey, who sat most of the year due to injury. The secondary added depth by acquiring hard hitter Kenoy Kennedy and CB RW McQuarters. They will join the very aggressive and big-play capable duo of Dre Bly and Fernando Bryant to form a much improved defensive backfield.

If your league included special teams as part of your defense, the Lions were a top team last year due to the amazing Eddie Drummond. He had four returns for touchdowns earlier in the season before being injured. Assuming his contract situation gets settled, he will definitely provide some sparks.

This is a young defense with big playmakers and an electric return specialist. They should be a low-risk, high-reward selection that can be had very late in your draft.